Dior is at it again, girls. I love Dior in general, but their eyeshadow quints are what I look forward to most of all. This August, they’re giving us *two* new palettes for fall. Oh, be still my broken knee.

The two new 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palettes are part of the upcoming Impression Cuir collection.

Earth Tones

My favorite of the two quints is hands-down the Earth Tones palette ($54) pictured above. All five of its shades — dark olive green, light moss green, pale pink, chocolate brown and reddish brown — have rich, creamy matte finishes with just the faintest shimmer. Girls (or boys) who like spicy neutrals may dig these a lot.

I used to steer clear of mattes because they can be hard to work with and difficult to blend, but Dior has the matte formulation down. These shades blend well, and, with a hint of shimmer, they create looks that aren’t flat or one-dimensional at all.

Unfortunately, Dior does not try to be a budget brand, and both of these palettes cost a pretty penny. For the money, though, the shades in the Earth Tones palette absolutely deliver. I think these are well made, beautiful and highly wearable eyeshadows. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Iridescent Leather

When I opened the second of the new fall palettes, Iridescent Leather ($54), I expected to find shimmery, dark chocolate browns and blacks, or maybe a mini-dominatrix trapped inside! To my surprise — and slight disappointment — I found something a little less exciting: five somewhat unremarkable shades of shimmery brown and beige.

The palette’s tan, taupe, beige, dark brown, and silver-brown shades are pretty, but the four lighter shades look a lot alike to me. I want eyeshadow palettes with dramatically different shades that still work well together, like Shu Uemura’s Fleur de Rose. Now, that’s a palette with a lot of flexibility.

I wouldn’t say Dior dropped the ball with Iridescent Leather; the shades are pretty, but I just don’t think they’re very dramatic or inspiring.

If I were to buy the Iridescent Leather shades individually, then I could get behind them, but the fact that the shades are all so similar undermines the point of a palette. Still, if your skin is cooler toned or you’re looking for some basic, shimmery neutrals, then Iridescent Leather may be worth your time. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C+

The entire Dior Impression Cuir collection, including both new eyeshadow palettes, debuts this August.

Ladies, I’m so glad it’s Friday night. My bum knee is still out of commission, so no workouts for me. I may go to the movies, though, to exercise my popcorn eating skills. Is popcorn an anti-inflammatory? I hope so.

The shades in Iridescent Leather are so similar that I get confuse when I see the palette LOL. Your green octopus is cute! Let’s hope all the chewing on popcorns will not give you jaw inflammation too. At least you are resting your knees, I’m sure they will feel better soon.

Hey Karen – sorry to hear about your knee. Hope you get well soon! Let us know what movie you end up seeing 🙂 and if possible, give us a short review. I’m dying to go to the movies…there’s a few things I want to see. You’re good at reviewing things…so I’m looking forward to hearing what you saw 🙂

Hi Karen
Hope the knee improves soon. Good excuse for taking it easy!
Love love love the earth tones palette. Dior quintets are sooo fab – I’m loving the golds from the summer collection at the moment.
I’m on a self-imposed shopping ban (my make-up collection is rather out of control) so will have to drop some heavy hints instead!!
Have a good weekend.

LOL! Mini dominatrix! You are soooo funny, even with a bum knee 😛 I am a little worried about you! It’s still not feeling better even after a couple of weeks??

I am loving the Earth palette and I’ve been looking for a good matte palette too… but I just got the Urban Decay Ammo palette and Fleur de Rose in the space of 2 weeks so I am gonna go about my day and forget I ever saw it! *nod* 😀

Karen, please get yourself some Advil and put your legs up. You’ll be better in no time.

Ah, the Dior and my wallet don’t go well together. I haven’t been liking the browns and neutrals lately. My faves are the blues and I’ve been digging Parrot so much, almost everyday. The octopus seems to enjoy the Dior palettes very much, his eyes are dreamy hehe.

I went to get a facial today, my first experience. The Aveda Institute has a 50% discount so I took advantage of it. Aveda really rocks! I’ll probably go weekly for about a month until my skin decides to behave again. Do you think it’s a good idea? Btw, I didn’t feel relaxed being under the blanket and all.

I watched Wall-E. 🙂 I read a bunch of reviews on rottentomatoes.com on it and it got very high ratings, so I watched it on a whim. It’s fantastic! I’m going to put a lil’ mini review in a upcoming post. 🙂

I think the Gaucho looks very pretty (especially the wine shade), and I *love* the packaging. I will have to see it in person, though, because I want to make sure that the colors are different enough from the ones I have. How about you? Do you think you might pick it up?

I’ve also had my eyes on both the MAC Colour Forms Warm Eyes and Cool Eyes palettes, so hopefully they won’t disappoint when I see ’em in person.

LOL, I hear ya on the makeup collection being out of control. But oh, the possibilities … 😉

I like the summer gold quint, too, especially for easy day looks, believe it or not. I usually just do one shade on the lid with some liner and it’s just enough for a quick, polished look. Have you paired it with other shadows?

I think it does! When I was at the movies last night I think the popcorn may have momentarily taken away the throbbing… 🙂

The Gaucho palette looks hot — especially the packaging (I’m such a sucker). From the looks of the pic on line the shades look wearable and interesting, so I can’t wait to see it in person. Do you think you might get it?

I think we’re on the same makeup wavelength, as I’ve been liking the blues, too. Here’s a color that I’ve been wearing lately that you might like with your blues — it’s a gel liner by Lola called Lagoon!

Regarding facials, it really depends on your skin. I rarely do them — they are a nice treat, but something that I don’t think I need on a regular basis right now that my acne issues are under control. The last time I had challenging skin issues (bad adult acne), I tried doing a facials (which made my face feel nice, but didn’t really help) and then I went to a dermatologist who prescribed Tazorac (didn’t work, either). Weirdly enough, the only thing that worked was ProActiv, go figure.

Some women really depend on them to keep their skin lookin’ beautiful, so if it works for you and you have the $ then go for it!

I actually did my preorder already for the anniversary sale:) I did get the Gaucho palette (!) but may give it to my sister-in-law for her birthday. Or….if I love it I might just pick up another one so we both have it!